DESTINED
by Kit2000
Summary: These royal heirs are destined to be together" said the fairy. But how will it work out when the rulers of the Kingdoms are not in good terms? Will Prince Ryoma ans Princess Sakuno find their happiness and reconcile two stubborn rulers? A RyoSaku fic!
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hello everyone! I came back with a new fanfic on Prince of Tennis that I called "Destined".

It's a fairytale with Ryoma and Sakuno as main characters. I hope you will like this story as much I love it *.* Before starting your reading, I want to tell that the main idea belongs to my dear sister who made up a story after listening to 2 songs by Kamelot "Forever" and "Wander". If you have an opportunity to listen to them, I highly recommend you to do so, because the fic is filled with the atmosphere the songs give.

So, now let's read, shall we? ^_^

_**Destined**_

_**Chapter 1**_

Once upon a time there were 2 Kingdoms, but unfortunately they were not fond of each other and didn't have good relations at all.

One day happiness visited the both Kingdoms. The heirs were born and it meant that each Kingdom gained a hope.

At those times there lived a beautiful kind and golden-hearted fairy who could understand what stars were telling. And lots of people went to meet the fairy and know what awaited them in their lives.

So, the rulers of those 2 Kingdoms also wanted to know their heirs' fates. And one day they rode to the fairy's house.

Queen Sumire arrived earlier than the other ruler, and so she took her little granddaughter in her hands and walked into the room where the fairy was sitting.

Unfortunately, little heiress's parents died when she was only 2 months old, and her grandmother took her in and promised to rise her the best she could.

"I knew you would come, Queen Sumire" said the fairy.

"Please, tell me, what awaits my little Sakuno in the future. Will she be happy?" asked an auburn-haired ruler, showing a sleeping baby-girl in her hands.

The fairy smiled and said gently.

"Little Sakuno will be one of the happiest princesses in the world because she will meet her soul mate in her life and find true happiness by his side".

The Queen's face brightened and she asked enthusiastically.

"Tell me, my good friend, who will it be? Who will become my granddaughter's soul mate?"

The fairy smiled and answered.

"That boy is only a few months older than Sakuno-chan. You will meet him very soon. He is coming here too".

And the next moment the door opened and King Nanjirou entered the room with a sleeping baby-boy in his hands.

"Here he is!" exclaimed the fairy. "Prince Ryoma!"

The Queen threw a look full of disgust towards a newcomer and his son.

"What's with the scary face, baba? Better give us the way. I came to ask about my son's fate!" said King Nanjirou arrogantly and made a step forward.

"So, dear fairy, tell me please what awaits my heir in the future".

The fairy showed a soothing smile.

"Your son will become a great ruler because he will find the true happiness in his life! This little princess and Prince Ryoma are destined to be together. It happens only once in 100 years but unfortunately sometimes people can't find their other halves and their lives fill with misery and sadness".

The King's eyes glowed with joy.

"So, my heir is one of those who will meet his soul mate! And she is…" he looked at a baby-girl in Queen Sumire's hands "this girl?"

"Yes!" said the fairy.

"No!" cried the Queen, hiding her granddaughter's face with a blanket. "It will never happen! Never in my life will I give my Sakuno to your son! You and your family is lack of the sense responsibility! Back off, Nanjirou! You and your scion will never have my pure flower and if you ever dare to do anything stupid to take her away from me, then it's war!"

With those words Queen Sumire sent a despiteful glare to the sleeping Prince and with a 'hm!' sound she left.

King Nanjirou just blinked in astonishment and pressed his son to his chest.

"Ryoma, I promise, she will pay for humiliating us…just she waits…mada mada da na".

A/N this is the end of the 1st chapter. I will try to update as soon as possible, guys. Just let me know what you think of the beginning by pressing this beautiful green button that you see below the text ^.~

Till the next time!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Nyaaa. Thanks for your reviews, guys! They made me so happy!

So, now I would like to introduce you the 2d chapter of "Destined".

Please, read and enjoy!

**Destined**

_**Chapter 2**_

17 years had passed since that day. Princess Sakuno grew up into an unutterable beauty. She had long auburn hair that reached her ankles. Her face was always shining with a brief smile while her eyes reflected the kindness of her heart.

Queen Sumire remembered the fairy's words, so she decided to make sure that Echizen dynasty would never take her beloved granddaughter away from her. When Princess was still a little child, Queen Sumire took a similar little girl in with the same colour of hair, and raised her up as a princess as well. The old ruler had done it only to confuse the others. No one in her and other Kingdoms knew who the real princess was.

The Queen even took 8 brave boys in, who were her royal generals' sons, so that Sakuno was always under their protection. Their names were: Tezuka, Shinichirou, Takashi, Inui, Syuusuke, Kaoru, Takeshi and Eiji. Those boys grew up with Princess Sakuno and Princess Tomoka like they were their brothers, but at the same time they were their personal bodyguards.

And so, one day, King Nanjirou told his 17 years old son.

"The time has come for you to take what is yours, Ryoma".

Prince smirked cockily.

"Sumire will pay for humiliating you and me. Go and bring that princess here!"

"There is no need to shout, oyaji" the teen rolled his eyes. "I will take that girl away from her grandbaba, but how will I do it when there are 2 princesses? How will I know who is the real one?"

"Investigate!" the King raised his pointing finger up. "You'll go there and find out who your princess is, and when it happens, you will take her with you as she is yours already! And there will not be any crime by doing so because it will be legal!"

And the King laughed mischievously, a second later the Prince joined him in their little moment of triumph.

_**OooooO**_

He dressed up like an old stranger and approached the royal garden where two princesses were playing with their dog.

When he stopped by the gate, a beautiful girl in a pink dress walked to him and asked what he wanted in a polite manner. She had long auburn hair and gentle smile.

"I want some food, my child. I'm a wanderer and I haven't eaten for 2 days" he answered hiding his golden eyes under the wide brim of his hat.

The girl smiled broadly and said.

"I will bring you some food, grandfather. Wait here!" and she was about to go but someone's stern tone interrupted her intentions.

"I will bring him the food myself, Your Highness. Why don't you go and join the others?" the person in the light shining armors bowed to her, never leaving his cold gaze from the old man.

"But Tezuka…" she pouted but followed his advice.

When she left, a stoic young man spoke.

"It's a private territory. You are not allowed to come near. If you are hungry, go to the main gates. There is a special service for wanderers there, where you can eat and drink for free".

With those words, the knight turned and walked away.

Prince didn't get upset. He knew that it wouldn't be so easy to get into the castle. So, he decided to find their special spy in this Kingdom that worked for Echizen Kingdom for who knows how long.

And Ryoma found him. It was a servant in the royal kitchen. There was Princess Sakuno's 17th Birthday in 3 days and thanks to that hectic time, Prince managed to enter the castle as the servant's niece. He dressed like a girl, wore a magenta-coloured wig with two tails on each side of the head, and he couldn't get recognized as a boy.

"_My main goal is worth of humiliating myself by dressing like that_" the royal heir thought with a slight irritation, when he looked in the mirror.

2 weeks had passed. Prince sat at the kitchen with gritted teeth and washed the dishes at night. Of course he didn't like doing such things, but he understood that he had to do it in order not to be revealed.

It had been 2 weeks since he arrived at this castle, and still he couldn't find out who the real princess was. Everyone treated the girls like both of them were true royal blooded.

Ryoma sighed in frustration. He was sick and tired of pretending. He threw the cloth away, stood up and walked out of the kitchen and into a night picturesque garden.

He wanted to find the girl as soon as possible and revenge for his family's name. The night sky was breathtaking. Millions of stars were shining from above, sending him their shy smile that annoyed him very much.

Prince frowned. How long had he been here? He didn't want that stupid girl! All he wanted was to make Queen Sumire regret her words! How dared she humiliate his father and him and call them irresponsible! Argh, that old hag!

Raven-haired young man turned his head in annoyance only to notice that a dazzling girl with long hair was standing at the balcony only in her white night-gown on. No, not at the balcony but on the handrails of it.

Ryoma's golden eyes widened in amusement. It was Princess Sakuno! But what was she doing up so late?

The maiden was looking at the full moon and smiling. Of course he couldn't see that the heiress eyes were closed and she didn't know what she was doing.

But the next thing she did shocked Prince to half-death.

She collapsed from the rails and fell down. It was a ground floor but it was still very dangerous to fall on a rough ground.

Prince, not remembering himself, rushed to the falling beauty and made it just in time to catch her in his arms, which caused him to fall on his knees from the impact.

Was she insane? She could get smashed! What was she thinking by doing so careless things!?!

He placed his angry and shocked at the same time gaze on her only to get another amusement.

The girl half-opened her dreamy eyes, which shined like the moon in a night sky, and looked at him with so many emotions that he couldn't understand what they meant. Her hand appeared on his cheek. It was soft and warm and it made him feel weird.

Her melodic voice reached his ears.

"Oh, my beloved destined soul mate! I have finally found you! Where have you been all this time?"

Her words startled him to no limits. But her next action almost made him lose his sanity.

She pressed her cashmere pink lips to his and hugged him gently.

Never in his life had he felt so vulnerable. He had never been kissed before, but this new sensation wasn't that horrible as he expected it would be. But unfortunately, his mind was too busy to register what happened and what to do next. Thankfully, the second question disappeared from the list as the girl broke the innocent kiss suddenly and became limp in his arms. She fell asleep as if nothing had happened.

Her breathing was slow and steady while his was rapid and loud. Her sleeping face was peaceful and a brief smile was playing on her lips that had just stolen his first kiss… How could it happen?! He didn't plan to fall a victim of her innocent ways of affection! He planned to mesmerize her with his own charm and make her suffer and beg him on her knees to give her just a little single peck on the cheek. And he would enjoy seeing her that pathetic and miserable…hahaha…but…but…

A sweat appeared on his temples.

How could it happen that the one who was miserable right now was him!?! It wasn't a real kiss, if to think properly. It was just a touch to each other's lips…NO! To _his_ lips!

"_How can I be so weak? I feel so ashamed __of myself!"_

Prince shook his head to get rid of noisy thoughts, summoned all his senses and forced his shocked self to lay the maiden on the grass carefully. And it was a good choice because a second later he heard coming footsteps and voices.

The royal heir jumped on his feet and dashed away from the place where the "crime" was committed. He hid in the kitchen and tried to catch his breath.

Soon Prince could see two of the 8 knights who found Princess. Their faces showed worry.

"Oh no! It happened again!" the knight with crystal-blue eyes and caramel hair whispered, taking Princess on his arms a bridal-style. "Eiji, go tell the others, I'll bring Her Highness to her room".

"Nyaaa…poor Princess, take care of her, Syuusuke. I'll call the others! Who could think that it will happen again after 2 weeks".

Prince heard their every word but couldn't concentrate on the information he had just learnt. His memory was playing back the accident that happened 5 minutes ago. He couldn't calm himself down as hundreds of new emotions rushed through him.

And that kiss…it was still burning on his lips like a fire.

The only thing that he knew for sure now, was…

"_Now I know who the real princess is…"_

And a cocky smirk conquered his lips.

_**A/N So? How was it? ^^ I hope you liked it as much as I do. **__**Please, let me know your opinion by pressing the same green button below the text! Thanks a lot for spending your time reading my story! I will update as soon as possible!**_

_**Till the next time!**_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N the 3d chapter is here, my dear friends! ^^ I'm glad that you like my fic (as your reviews told) Thanks to everyone who reviewed and just read my story. I'm very happy author! *.*

So, now let's read the 3d chapter!

**Destined**

_**Chapter 3**_

Some days had passed. Prince caught himself on a thought that he started to be very aware of every Princess's move. He was watching her from his secure shelter that was a royal kitchen. She didn't show any signs of somnambulism. She was joyful and kind as ever.

He found himself fond of seeing her with flowers in her luxury auburn hair and listening to her singing. She had an angelic voice. Of course, no one knew about his spying.

At nights he would look at the giant oak-tree that was growing by the windows of her room. She kissed him under the brunches of that old tree. But despite all those new feelings, Prince wasn't all that delighted about such romantic-mode of his. He came to this Kingdom to take what belonged to him and he wanted to do it as soon as possible.

2 days later he received a note from his father. It told that young King Atobe asked them to help him to go against Ryuuzaki Kingdom so that he could take the Princess and marry her by force, because Queen Sumire declined his proposal to one of her granddaughters.

Ryoma thought deeply. He knew who his Princess was, so why not help Atobe to get the second Princess Tomoka? This war could be very helpful the Echizen's heir decided.

He picked his belongings and left the Kingdom unnoticed to tell his father that he was ready to help that spoilt and super arrogant not to say annoying King Atobe to have what he wanted. It wasn't a big deal, because Ryoma decided to kidnap **his** Princess earlier than the war broke out.

As he arrived at his castle, everything was settled down. King Nanjirou told his son to go and inform Atobe that they agreed to give their support in his intentions.

And Ryoma rode to the military garrison the young King had already set on his way to Ryuuzaki Kingdom.

_**OooooO**_

Princess Sakuno had weird dreams. After her second falling from the balcony at night, she watched dreams about her beloved. She didn't see his face in those dreams, but she could clearly see the rode to his castle, his servants, the nature of his homeland. Those dreams were so realistic that the girl began wonder. She could feel that that rode would bring her to him and she wanted to meet that man. Queen Sumire didn't know what was in Sakuno's mind as she was too busy to save Princess Tomoka from the forceful King Atobe who wanted to marry her. The ruler couldn't let that spoilt King to crash her perfect plan in hiding her real granddaughter from Echizens.

And all Princess Sakuno knew was that if she didn't do anything, she would never find out what those dreams meant.

So, one day she left the castle unnoticed. It was hard to do since her sister and 8 loyal knights were always around her, but she managed to escape after using all her sharpness and slyness. And fortunately for her, everything went smoothly.

The rode was tiring but she didn't mind as her heart was leading her to somewhere, she knew she would find true happiness.

It was getting dark and dangerous and she understood that she had to stop for the night. Suddenly two soldiers plopped out of nowhere and scared her.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" they asked.

"I'm just a poor girl who is riding to visit my grandmother who lives in a neighbor Kingdom" Sakuno lied. She didn't like to tell lies but she had no choice in that situation.

"It's a military garrison. We have no right to let you pass".

"Maybe you will be so kind and let me stay for the night? I will be very grateful!"

The soldiers looked at each other in surprise.

"Well, if only our King Atobe gives the permission. Follow us".

And she did.

The young and wealthy King met her with annoyance. He was sitting on his so called throne and sniffing a red rose in his hand. The girl explained her situation and he said:

"Ore-sama allows you to stay for the night, but you must disappear at the break of dawn. It's a military garrison after all, there is no place for women".

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty" she dropped a curtsey and was led to the stable, where she had to spend the night. Sakuno lay on a heap of straw and fell asleep.

_**OooooO**_

The young Echzen's heir rode to the garrison that King Atobe had set. If everything would go right, Prince could get his profit out of this war. The most important thing was not to let Atobe know about Princess Sakuno, who was more beautiful than Princess Tomoka, or else everything could turn into a mess. King Atobe was known for his sense of beauty and he was famous for collecting unique things. And Sakuno was just like a rare precious stone that Ryoma didn't want to share with the others especially Atobe.

He arrived at the place in the late evening. The young King met him friendly. All questions were discussed and the wine was drunk. And everything would have been just perfect if only…

"Give us back the Princess!" cried the royal knight whose name was Tezuke, who was the leader by the way.

He came here with other 7 knights to rescue their dear Princess.

The King didn't understand at first.

"What are you talking about? Ore-sama doesn't have your Princess. Yet. But We are going to attack your Kingdom and take her with Us. So, you came a little bit early".

The knight whose name was Kaoru spoke aggressively.

"We saw her horse outside. She is here and you will let her go!"

"Hmm?" the King's eyebrow arched curiously. "If you say that that girl is a princess then play with my guard a little" and he made two loud claps. A second later the whole room was filled with high qualified soldiers.

"Beat them, guys! I have an important business to do" with those words he threw his red rose which signalized the beginning of the struggle. After that he stood up from his throne-like chair and ran to the stable, where he grabbed the girl by the hand, sat her on his royal horse and jumped on it himself.

Prince was so startled by the current situation that he needed some time to comprehend. But when he realized what happened, he jumped on his horse and rode after King Atobe. He caught him on a rocky cliff that led to his castle.

"Echizen, I'm glad you came so far to help me get the princess" said Atobe stopping the horse. The girl was punching him at his chest as hard as she could but to him it was just a tickling.

"No, Keigo, I'm here to get what mine is back. Let her go. She is mine" warned Prince Ryoma.

But Atobe just smirked.

"I thought you are my friend. I will not give her to you. She is my bride!"

"She is not Princess Tomoka. She is Princess Sakuno. You have no right to marry her!" Prince's tone was as cold as ice.

"Why not? I don't see any difference! She is gorgeous and a perfect match for someone as wealthy and handsome as ore-sama".

"I can't let you take her! I'm challenging you, Keigo!"

"Angarde!"

And they jumped off from their horses and began the duel. It was hard to predict who would win, but in the end Ryoma attacked the King with his Drive B maneuver-slash and won.

While the King was lying on a hard ground unconscious,Prince turned to the scared brown-eyes Princess and outstretched his gloved hand to her.

"Come here, Princess. I will not harm you".

But she refused. An auburn-haired maiden shook her head and stepped back.

"I don't know you! Who are you?"

He made a step forward to reach her, but she stepped back again.

"Don't you recognize me?" he asked with a cocky smile on his handsome face.

"No! I have never met you before!"

She was shaking her head in negation, while looking at the ground. She was frightened and confused. Who was this man and why did the other man wanted to kidnap her?

"Princess Sakuno, just look at me".

"I don't know how you know my name but don't come near!"

He stopped and sighed.

"Alright. I will not do anything" he walked away from her and stood at the opposite side of the road. "See?"

She was uncertain. A part of her didn't trust him, but the other part knew him from somewhere. He looked somehow familiar but she couldn't remember where she could see him before.

Sakuno made a step forward but a sudden pain in her head forced her to stop. The girl looked back and saw that her long hair got tangled in thorny bushes. She tried to free herself, but it was impossible. Her luxury hair turned into a mix of dry brown bushes and auburn hair. The girl turned her back to Prince, absolutely forgotten about him, and began untangling the cause of her trap. But the bushes were dry and couldn't handle the pressure. The next moment they fell from the cliff pulling the girl with them.

Prince's eyes widened in terror. He witnessed as she got tangled in those bushes and now she was falling right after them. The last thing he saw was her shocked face and scared eyes, as she managed to turn and face him before disappearing from his sight.

The last thing he did was rushing forward to catch the girl, but it was too late. He fell on his knees right on the same spot the Princess was standing a second ago. He became a witness of her terrible death. Her fragile form was falling deep into the precipice, while their eyes were locked. Right there in front of his golden eyes, she hit the rocky surface of the bottom of the precipice and died immediately.

His hands began to shake as well as his whole body. He was looking down at her lifeless form and couldn't believe what just happened.

She didn't move.

He waited.

She didn't show any signs of life.

She couldn't just die, could she? She was his soul mate, so she had to stand up and wave her hand at him like letting him to know that she was alright, right?

But she still didn't move.

Something tightened in his very chest. His heart got cold and empty. His face paled and eyes went blank.

The realization slowly came to his mind.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A heart-rending cry escaped from the bottom of his lungs. Something hot rolled down his cheeks.

She was gone! She was gone forever!

His body was shaking in hysterics. He didn't hear as 8 young knights approached his knelt figure. He didn't hear their gasps of terror when they looked down from the cliff. The only thing that brought him back from his stupor was a sharp pain in his ribs, as one of the knights, whose name was Takeshi, punched him.

"It's your fault that our Princess is dead! Why? Why did you have to do it? She didn't deserve it!" tears of anger and sorrow showed in the man's eyes.

Prince didn't say anything. His own eyes were lifeless as he tried to look up at the young men.

"He doesn't deserve your attention, Momo" Tezuka spoke. "We have to take Princess's body to the castle".

The other knights agreed though all of them were on the edge of crying because of their great loss.

"Don't take her away" they heard Prince's hoarse voice. "I want to bury her in my Kingdom".

The knight whose name was Kaoru gritted his teeth and grabbed the royal heir by the collar of his light hauberk.

"You, brat, did you hear? It's your fault she is gone now. You have no rights for her and never did! Leave her poor soul alone! We will never give you her body!"

Ryoma's eyes glowed with a glint of disapproval.

"Then you have to challenge me since I will not let you take her body either!"

With those words Prince jumped on his feet and bared his sword. The knights followed his example and rushed forward to attack.

Of course the forces were not equal and soon Prince was spread on the ground absolutely defeated, though he gave the knights a hard time challenging him.

"We are taking Her Highness's body. Let us never meet again or else someone may die for sure" said a tall young man whose name was Inui.

Ryoma watched as they rode away to the bottom of the precipice to take their dear Princess, leaving him to lay on a hard rough ground powerless, hurt and almost unconscious from the misery and pain he was feeling.

_**OooooO**_

A/N Sakuno is dead. T.T What will Ryoma do? How will Queen Sumire react? Honestly, I was crying when writing the scene where Princess died.

I will be waiting for your reviews, guys! I hope you will send them to me if you want to know what will happen next, as it's not the end of the story ^.~

Please, push the green button!

Till the next time!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Hello everyone! Here is the 4th chapter of my story "Destined".

I want to thank everyone who reviewed my fic. I appreciate your support, guys! And let me make it clear to all of you. I'm not a native English-speaker, so, please, bear with the mistakes I can make. Or if there is someone who wants to help me to correct them, I will be very grateful.

**Destined**

_**Chapter 4**_

A week had passed since that tragic day. When King Atobe came to his senses, he couldn't believe what happened. He had never wished that everything would turn out like this.

Prince Ryoma had been taken to his Kingdom by his soldiers. His body condition was very bad but his soul felt the worst. A whole week was needed to make him stand from the bed. And the first thing he did when he was on his feet again, was going at the Royal garden of the palace.

King Nanjirou couldn't stand seeing his only son like this. The boy's face was emotionless as well as his mirrors of soul. The father's heart felt that his son didn't want to live and it was a real nightmare to the King. He didn't know why Ryoma reacted that way when the girl died. Prince didn't know her that well to suffer over her death so much now. It was a mystery to the older man.

But Prince was getting worse and worse. He didn't eat, he didn't sleep. Everyone could see him sitting in the garden by the beautiful fountain and carried away with his own thoughts.

And all that time Prince was thinking…thinking of so many things that had already happened in his life and that could have happened if she was still alive. He didn't know why but when he watched as she started to fall down till the very moment she hit the rocky surface, he felt as a part of him died as well. He remembered her scared expression, her widened eyes that looked at him at the very moment the bushes started to pull her down. Her gaze was full of terror and indescribable sadness as if she had already understood that it was her end.

He thought he saw her outstretched hand to him like she was asking for help, but he couldn't give it to her, because he stood at the other side of the road.

No, if only he could predict that everything would end so tragically. If only he had 10 more seconds to catch her hand.

If only…there were so many "ifs".

Why did she have to die?

He wanted to marry her and know her better. That fateful night in the garden when their lips touched for the first time, he felt a spark in his chest. He couldn't understand what it was back then, but now he knew. It was a feeling of being loved by someone. And now there was a pain, an unbearable pain within, that he couldn't define.

Prince's heart tightened sharply. He was so dense to understand that her sincere words and feelings for him had reached their goal that was his heart. And now there was an empty space where her love used to shine just a week ago.

He didn't realize it back then, but now it was as clear as water.

Why, oh why did people realize that they lost something very important only after losing it forever?

"_We don't treasure what we have for granted, but when we lose it, we cry"._

It was one ancient wisdom, but it couldn't help to get rid of that terrible feeling in his chest.

The feeling of despair.

His life had turned into a meaningless wandering into a void of consequence. He wanted her to be near, he wanted to hold her hand and look into her big chocolate eyes only to know that she was really his, that they really belonged together.

During those rare moments when he managed to take a short sleep he had weird dreams as if he was standing alone in a total darkness, losing himself. And in the end there would be a little source of light. It would be so tiny but after reaching it with so much effort, he would see that it was her. She was his guiding light out of the darkness.

Where were the truth, justice and confidence when an innocent girl had died like that? Was it a cruel joke of fate? So many hopes were lost there, on that unfortunate cliff.

Ryoma wished to meet her again. The vision of her face was living in his mind, his heart, his soul.

She was his destined soul mate, wasn't she? So why did she have to die?

Prince threw his face on his palms and clutched his hair. He looked like a wounded lion that was dying in agony.

They had the only special moment together that became both the most precious and heart-rending memory to him.

How he wished to meet her by the giant oak-tree in cover of the moon again, to share one more kiss with her, to hear her sweet voice that would whisper to him tenderly that he would meet her soon. And he dreamed about listening to her singing those songs that she used to sing in the garden of her palace.

Now it was just a memory that he was so afraid to forget.

"_From the night we "met" till the day you died, do you think I wished that to ever happen? All too soon we were divided, Princess…"_

A reflection of an exhausted and unshaved young man with emotionless golden eyes, messy dark-green hair and pale face was gazing at Prince from the water surface of the fountain. There was no life in his orbs as if they were telling that there was no future anymore.

"_Will you be there, waiting by the gates of d__awn, if I close my eyes forever, Sakuno?"_

Those last words were uttered out loud. A person who was approaching Prince at the moment happened to hear them.

Someone's heavy hand landed on Ryoma's shoulder, making him turn his head and face the person, who dared to ruin his moment of thoughts.

His father's sharp eyes looked at him seriously.

"What did you say just now, Ryoma?"

King watched as his son's empty and lost gaze travelled to his parent's face.

"Are you thinking of killing yourself because of her?!"

King's heart tightened as his heir looked away, not answering a direct question.

Nanjirou grabbed Prince's shoulders and shook him as hard as he could.

"Ryoma! It's not your fault that she died! Don't even think of doing anything stupid! You have to live on. You are a royal heir!"

"There is no reason to live on. Every breath I take brings me closer to her, because I feel like I'm dying without her" Prince's voice sounded dry and distant.

King's eyes widened in disbelief and worry.

"Stop it, Ryoma!"

Inexpressive golden eyes went upwards to meet his father's shocked face.

"Do you know how it feels to be a witness of your destined soul-mate's death?" King opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Prince's next words. "You live with the only thought of uniting with her, you feel like the most meaningful part of you died and you don't exist in this world anymore".

The royal heir groaned. A feeling of despair could be read on his young handsome but exhausted face.

"All too soon we were divided. Our life hasn't even begun" Ryoma whispered with his dry lips and stood up weakly.

King glanced at his heir who looked so lost and absolutely hopeless.

"Where are you going, son? You shouldn't move too much in your condition" Nanjirou laid a firm reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Somewhere where I can think in silence" Prince answered indifferently not even facing his father.

King sighed heavily. It was a torture to see his son living with such a deep heart-trauma.

"I know the person who may answer your questions, Ryoma. I advise you to go and see her".

The boy turned his head slowly and glanced at the older man. His golden eyes showed a shade of interest.

**OooooO**

That evening young Prince Ryoma rode to the fairy's house. When he entered the room, he was met by a beautiful golden-haired young woman with a kind face.

"I was waiting for you, Prince Ryoma" she smiled soothingly. "Please, come in and take a sit".

He followed her advice and did what he was told.

"I came here to--"

"I know the reason of your coming" the fairy interrupted. "And I know what you want to ask me".

"So?" Prince's blank face expressed determination and eagerness. "Tell me, why did it happen? You told that we were destined to be together, right? So, how do we suppose to do it now when she is dead?" his voice got louder and louder with every word until it turned into a cry.

"I understand you misery, Prince" the fairy began, but Ryoma chuckled bitterly and said coldly.

"You understand nothing".

"Did you love her, Prince Ryoma? Did you treasure her? Or did you just wanted to have her because you knew that you were soul mates?"

Her sudden questions intimidated him.

Yes, he went to that castle only to find out who **his** princess was so that he could kidnap her only in order to revenge Queen Sumire for humiliating his family's name. He didn't love Princess back then, but after that fateful kiss in cover of the moon he felt that something had changed. He didn't know what exactly, he just felt it somehow. But still it wasn't enough for him to fully comprehend what it meant to be soul mates. He just knew that Princess Sakuno had to be his, because it was what the fairy told. He didn't treasure her back then, because he knew that he would have her no matter what. It was her fate to be by his side and she had to bear with it.

All those thoughts ran through his mind with a sonic speed. Ryoma's eyes widened in shock as the realization had finally reached his mind.

"I was so selfish…" he said in a shaking silent voice. "I realized what she really means to me only after I have lost her forever".

His heart was aching, it was tearing apart from the unbearable misery and a feeling of great loss. His golden eyes filled with something wet and hot.

The fairy smiled sadly. She was glad that Prince had finally found out his true feelings.

"It shouldn't have happened" she said. "But in order to save the pure feeling between you two, it just had to happen. If everything remained the same, neither you, nor Princess Sakuno would have found the real happiness. She was waiting for you not even knowing that she had a destined soul mate in her life. Then you came to her castle and Princess's heart felt your presence. She fell a victim of sleep-walking because her soul was searching for you. When you met that night, you both gained an invisible bound, that kept attracting you to each other. Believe me, Prince Ryoma, you would have been alright and wouldn't have suffered so much now if she didn't kiss you back then. Your soul feels wounded because you've lost its other half. But if there was no bound between you, you wouldn't have cried over her death, because she wasn't important to you. You didn't love her, you didn't treasure her. All you wanted was to get revenge and not truly to have her by your side. That's why she had to die in order to awake those hidden feelings in your heart".

When the fairy stopped, Ryoma was speechless. He knew that everything she had just said was true, and it helped him to understand himself better.

He thought only of himself not wishing to think of Princess Sakuno's feelings when she was still alive. He wanted to use her to accomplish his dirty plan but then it would have made her the most miserable girl in the world. There would be no happiness in their lives if everything would have gone as he wanted. She would have lived under his tyranny and he would have never realized that she was special for him.

What a terrible future was awaiting them if everything went smoothly according to his plan of revenge.

But now…he understood his mistakes, his fault…and it made him feel even worse, because he was the main reason why she had to die.

A feeling of repentance filled his heart. He buried his face in his palms and moaned as a wounded animal.

"What have I done?! If only I could turn back time, and prevent everything that happened!"

The fairy watched him sitting and whining in hopelessness. Her gentle voice interrupted his train of bitter thoughts.

"Tell me, Prince Ryoma, do you love her now?"

There was a pregnant silence in the room until he began to speak in a hoarse whisper.

"I have never imagined that there would be a person I would like to sacrifice my own life for. Yes, I love her, if this is what they call this special feeling in your heart. I love her and I want her to live. I need her as I need air, but I would have rather stayed away from her in order to save her happiness, because she deserved someone better that me. But she is gone …and will never come back…"

The fairy smiled warmly.

"If your words express what you feel for real, that I can give you a chance".

"What chance?" the royal heir raised his head and looked at the woman with confusion written all over his handsome face.

"You want to correct the mistakes you have done, don't you?"

He nodded.

"Then I may send you to the past, right at that moment when you can do something that would influence on the consequences. You must make a right decision or else, everything will repeat again".

The young man's eyes glowed with hope.

"I agree! Please, send me to the past! I want to save Princess Sakuno!"

"Not so fast, Prince" the fairy shook her head. "In your current condition, it can be fatal for you. This "jump in time" takes lots of human's vital strength. If there is not enough, a person may die or appear in different time".

She looked at him carefully: an exhausted pale face, a broken leg, and several serious wounds on his body…

Yeah…it was a perfect view.

"I'll manage. I know that my love will lead me to her, she will be my guiding light".

"I like the determination and braveness in your eyes, Prince Ryoma. I hope that everything will be alright".

"If I don't try I will never find peace. There is no reason to live without your soul mate" his voice sounded serious.

The woman nodded understandingly.

"Be careful and remember that the moment you appear in the past, you must make a decision that will help to prevent the tragedy".

"I will" was a firm answer.

The fairy stood up and approached a table with lots of different bottles on it. She took one of the bottles and offered it to Prince.

"Drink this magic potion while thinking of Princess that you love. It will send you to the past".

Prince took the bottle from her hands and before bringing it to his lips, he looked at the fairy with gratitude in his eyes and said sincerely:

"Thank you for everything".

And after saying that last, he drank the content of the bottle and vanished.

"Please, let them be together".

The fairy uttered and started to pray.

**OooooO**

A/N so, this is the end of chapter 4. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to push this cute green button below the text. I will be very glad to receive your reviews! And again, don't try to tell harsh words about my English or else it will influence on the speed of writing the next chapters (as it was with this one TT). I'm a very sensitive person and I get upset very easily. If you see any mistakes, just tell me about them so that I could correct them, I will be very grateful for your help.

If you want to know what happens next, review! ^_^


	5. Chapter 5

A/N So, here is the 5th chapter. I want to thank everyone who left their reviews. I love this story and I will be doing my best to finish it as soon as possible.

Special thanks to Macve, who supported me and made me believe in myself again. I'm very grateful to you, dear!

**Destined**

_**Chapter 5**_

He felt dizzy, he felt broken and nauseous. His body was complaining and his arms were too tensed.

In that "wonderful" state Ryoma forced his eyelids to open and looked at the surroundings. To his great surprise the moment he opened his eyes, he felt a pleasant warm touch to his lips.

Prince tensed his vision to get rid of a blurry image and when he got an awaited effect, his golden orbs widened in a total surprise.

Right there, before his face, there was a gorgeous girl with creamy skin and long auburn hair. She was shyly pressing her sweet lips to his in her sleep-walking state.

Ryoma, not remembering himself from the feelings of happiness and great relief, held her closer to his chest and answered her innocent kiss with as many emotions as his young heart could show.

She was alive and it was the only thing that mattered right now. Some seconds later their lip-lock ended as Princess silently fell asleep in his secure arms.

Prince looked at her fragile form with so much care and devotion. She was alive…

She was alive!

His eyes watered as he hugged his dear girl so tightly, burring his face on the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet cherry aroma of her luxury hair. It was so soft to touch and so long…

Ryoma's eyes flew open when the last thought crossed his mind. She wouldn't have died if her hair wasn't too long, right? It got tangled in those bushes and made her a victim of a tragic accident. That was it!

His lips curved into a brief smile. It was hard to let go of her, but he knew that there was no time to waste.

Prince placed the girl on a soft grass carefully, never leaving his eyes from her peaceful face. Her chest was rising and falling slowly in her sleep.

She was gorgeous. And she was destined to be his. Ryoma's heart was singing an anthem of happiness. He had never felt this strange before. He wanted to protect this girl no matter what and make her the happiest in the world. He wanted to be gentle with her, to take all her troubles on his strong man's shoulders. But most of all he wanted to be loved by her, to become her only one.

That was why he had to do something to prevent the tragedy and save Princess. Prince reached his belt to take a knife, which was hanging on it, but was very surprised by finding nothing but a ribbon around his waist.

He glanced at his clothes and chuckled. That's right. He was still a maid in this castle. How could he forget about his camouflage? Prince shook his head to clear his mind and grabbed a small knife, which was hidden under the skirt of his uniform, and then he knelt by the Princess.

"Sorry for doing it to you, but I have no choice" after whispering that last, Ryoma clenched her hair in his fist and cut it with one swift move.

Auburn strands fell between his fingers like millions of golden threads.

"How I wish to take you away from here right now, but it's impossible to do under current circumstances. Your knights will come very soon, so I have to hide" he whispered tenderly, caressing her smooth cheek gently. He bent closer to her face to leave a chaste kiss on her lips before walking away.

"We will meet again, I promise" but when those words were uttered, Ryoma heard someone's footsteps. He knew that it was her guardians. Unhappy with the fact that his kiss had been canceled, Prince jumped on his feet and ran to the kitchen where he knew he could hide himself.

"Oh no! Princess! It happened again!" a knight whose name was Eiji cried.

"Look! Someone has cut Her Highness's hair! Unforgivable!"

"Ne, Syuusuke, take Princess to her room. I'll call the others. We have to find and punish the intruder!"

And both knights proceeded to their responsibilities right away.

OooooO

Everything went as it had to be. Nothing had changed during those couple of days after their moment under the brunches of a giant oak-tree. Princess was joyful as ever, despite the fact that everyone was complaining about her new hairstyle.

"I don't find it disturbing, moreover I like my hair as it is now, it feels so light and free" Princess would answer everyone with a smile on her innocent face.

Her grandmother was furious. She commanded to find the intruder and execute him for doing such unforgivable thing to her granddaughter.

And Ryoma was watching Princess Sakuno from his secure shelter. He noticed that he fell in love with her sincere smile, the way she got embarrassed so easily, her shy laughter and that indescribable kindness in her mirrors of soul. He wanted to be with her, to tell her who he really was, but at the same time he realized that it was too dangerous at the moment.

When he got a note from his father about King Atobe's request, Prince decided to stay in the Ryuuzaki Kingdom. He knew that his father would send him to see the young King anyway, so Ryoma thought that he would meet Atobe later.

The most important thing was Princess's runaway. He remembered that he found her in King Atobe's garrison when her 8 knights plopped out of nowhere. That meant that they rode after her to find their Princess. But why did she run away in the first place?

Argh, everything was so tangled! But still, Ryoma deducted that she was going to run away again, like she did in the past. It took him a while to calculate the days; and he decided that he would meet her on her way to Atobe's garrison. That's why he left the castle earlier that her. And he wasn't disappointed with his deduces.

2 days later, after the Echizen's heir rode away from Ryuuzaki Kingdom, the girl happened to cross the same road Prince had crossed earlier.

She stopped her horse when she noticed a good-looking young man sleeping under the tree with his back pressed to the stem. His face looked so tired yet worried. It seemed that he was watching a bad dream.

The girl climbed down from her white horse and stepped closer to the sleeping stranger. When she bent down to him, she heard that he was groaning in his sleep.

Princess didn't know what to do and why was she so interested in this person in the first place? He seemed to be familiar…but she couldn't remember where she could have met him before.

"A-ano…excuse me, are you alright?" it was a silly question and she knew it by the hurt expression on his face.

But he didn't wake up. It startled her. She didn't know why she wanted to wake him up so badly, but before she could think of any proper reason, her hand was already shaking the sleeping handsome by his shoulder.

His lips whispered the words that intimidated Sakuno to no limits.

"This time I will save you and we will be together forever…as it has to be, my Princess".

The auburn-haired maiden blinked several times trying to catch the meaning of his words but the next moment his eyelids opened to reveal two golden orbs, that could take your breath away if you looked into them. The same thing happened to our Princess. Despite the confusion written all over her pretty face, her lips parted slightly and she swallowed hard. That was the effect she received by looking in his mysterious golden mirrors of soul.

When Ryoma opened his eyes he thought that he was still dreaming. Right there, before his face, was his dear princess with a confused expression that still looked cute to him. She was so close right now, just an arm's length away from him. It was a rare moment to see her that close in daylight, since their first meeting happened under the light of the moon.

He was dreaming for sure. Those shoulder-length braids of hers suited her timid nature. She looked so beautiful…wait a minute…shoulder-length? She had long hair in his dream! Could it be that it was reality?

The girl was still lost in his eyes when she noticed how his expression had changed during the last 2 minutes. At first it was still clouded from the sleep, then it looked like he was glad and relieved, soon it turned into a smiling and caring gaze, until his eyes rounded in a total surprise.

"How did you come here?" was his sudden question. He still couldn't believe that he fell asleep while waiting for her coming. If not for her kind heart, which told her to stop and ask a poor stranger why he was sleeping outside, he could have missed her. But she was a true golden-hearted maiden. She saw him sleeping under the tree and decided to ask if he was alright.

"I was passing by and saw you, and I thought, maybe you need some help, since you looked so vulnerable, so I tried to wake you up…and" her voice was shaking as well as her hands.

Ryoma chuckled mentally. He let his guard down since he looked so defenseless to her eyes.

"Thank you, but I'm alright" the young man smiled at her cockily and stood up, adjusting his pants from the dust. Then he outstretched his hand to the beauty to help her stand up as well. She looked at him unsurely but accepted his gesture of politeness.

"So, are you travelling alone?" Ryoma asked, looking at her shy face.

She didn't answer right away. The girl understood that she couldn't tell a total stranger that she was following the visions she saw in her dreams.

"I…yes…I want to visit my granny in a neighbor Kingdom. I haven't seen her in a long time" and she gifted him with an uneasy smile.

"_What a plain lie_" Prince rolled his eyes mentally, but the next words were said in a polite manner.

"I may accompany you, if you don't mind. I'm heading to the same Kingdom and it won't be that dangerous than travelling all alone, milady".

For a brief moment he saw a shadow of hesitation in her chocolate eyes, and it made him trembling inside from fear that she would reject his offer. But all his worries vanished when he received a stunning white-teethed smile in return. He felt as his heart started to beat faster and pleasant warmth appeared on his face.

"I'd love to! If to be honest, I don't remember the road clearly, so it's my happiness that I've met you!"

"_Oh, Princess, if only you knew what your words mean to me" _Ryoma thought, keeping those tender feelings he had for this girl in his heart.

"My name is Ryoma" he began as a matter of fact. "I'm glad that I can share this trip with someone as beautiful as you, milady".

Her cheeks turned pink as he took her hand and kissed it softly.

"May I know your name?" he asked with a sparkle in his golden eyes.

She looked down to hide her embarrassed face.

"You may call me Sakuno" was he shy reply.

"It's the most beautiful name I've ever heard. It suits you very much".

She didn't know what to think. This man was treating her like a real princess when he didn't know her true status. Maybe he was a nobleman? Then it could explain his perfect manners.

"Thank you" the girl whispered trying to hide her shyness.

They climbed their horses and began their journey. The young people talked a lot, discussed different themes, joked and laughed. They enjoyed each other's company so much that they didn't notice when the moon changed the sun.

"It's getting dark. We better find a shelter to spend the night there", Ryoma said as a matter-of-factly, looking at the darkening sky.

Soon they reached a military garrison where two soldiers stopped them.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Prince rolled his eyes mentally but said:

"We are heading to the neighbor Kingdom but it's getting dark, so we wanted to ask you for a shelter to spend the night. My sister doesn't feel well, she needs rest".

Of course Ryoma was sick of that cheap lie, but there was no chance not to pass this garrison. It was the only road that led to his Kingdom.

"We will leave at dawn. Just let us stay for the night" he continued, taking the girl's hand in his, that caused a deep blush appear on her face. His hand felt so warm and comforting and it was strange to her. He was a person she met only some hours ago, so why was she so aware of his touch?

The soldiers looked at each other and spoke:

"Alright. You may stay for this single night, but if we see you two here in the morning, you will face big problems. It's a military garrison after all".

"We will leave with the first ray of the sun. Thank you" said the royal heir and let the guardians lead him and his "sister" to the stable where they could have their rest.

But Prince was far from sleeping.

"Let's talk" he asked her quietly, watching as she was preparing for her sleep. The girl was unbraiding her hair when he said those words. And they took her by surprise.

"Is anything wrong?" she asked her question laying her eyes on his serious face.

Ryoma sighed. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring. Would he be able to be by her side? Would he be able to save her? He had a bad feeling that everything could repeat again and he felt…scared. His eyes found her concerned face. What a kind-hearted girl she was! She was worried about a total stranger to her. A stranger…this is what he was to her now. But he wanted to become her best friend and the only man for her with all his heart. He had to protect her no matter what! He would definitely save her and tell her the truth. Would she understand?...

"I know that it may sound strange, but if anything happens tonight, please, trust me".

She gifted him with an enquiring look.

"I don't understand what you are talking about. What does it mean?"

"You will know it very soon. Just believe me. I'm your friend"

"You are weird…" Sakuno's eyes went downwards as she fell in a musing mode. He acted so strange. Those words intimidated her and his instant gaze made her feel very uneasy, like it was trying to look not at her but into her soul.

They sat in a total silence for some minutes, until the dark-haired young man began to speak.

"I have a beloved, that I want to protect and love for the rest of my life. But I was so blind and selfish that it led to a tragedy. I lost her…" after uttering those last words, he sighed deeply and laid his eyes on the girl that was sitting in front of him.

When she met a serious gaze of his golden orbs, Sakuno swallowed hard and looked downwards. Somehow, she couldn't stand against his mysterious mirrors of soul. His next words broke a short silence.

"But this time I will be there for her and let her know what she really means to me. I will protect her with my life".

Sakuno glanced at him in a corner of her eyes. His face showed determination.

"She must be a really lucky girl to have such a brave and caring beloved like you, Ryoma" Princess spoke shyly. Oh, how she wished to find her only one and leave her life with him as a single whole.

"No, she deserves someone better than me. All too late I realized that I can't leave without her…" his words sounded bitter, as if he was in a torture of his own deep thoughts.

"It will be alright! I believe that she will understand you, don't give up! You have good intentions, so everything will be fine" Sakuno said cheerfully and gifted him with a reassuring smile, which could make your heart skip a beat.

Oh, how he wanted to embrace her and never let go! How he wanted to protect this smile and her kind heart! What good deeds had he done in his life to deserve this angel to be his soul mate? He didn't know but now he had a strong wish to make her happy and protect her happiness even if it would mean to sacrifice his life while doing so.

"Thank you" was all he could whisper.

They talked a little more until Princess fell asleep from exhaustion. Ryoma was looking at her sleeping face under the glow of the moon, that was coming from the window. She gave freedom to her hair and now it was lying on her shoulders. He loved her long hair more, but Prince couldn't forgive it for what it had done in the past.

"_I love you not because of your hair, Princess, so it doesn't matter to me if it's long or short". _

His innocent intention to kiss her forehead was interrupted by the sound of approaching horses.

"_It's begun_" a thought ran through his mind as he closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He prayed for strength and willpower to make everything right, and with the last glance at his sleeping beauty, Prince took his sword and left the stable.

He had to make everything right! Of course, they had a chance to escape now, but there was no guarantee of her safety. He could defeat any enemy, but when you were with a lady in the middle of a fight, everything could turn out to be sad in the end. Ryoma didn't want to put her between a crossfire, that's why the best plan was to let King Atobe take her to his castle. And he, Ryoma, would meet them on the cliff and take what was his back.

And so, everything happened as he predicted. Prince had to fight several soldiers until there was a chance to leave the garrison. 30 minutes later an awaited meeting reached its time.

There, on that unfortunate cliff Ryoma fought against young King who was very surprised to see him.

"But ore-sama thought your Kingdom will help mine to get the princess!" hissed Atobe, blocking Echizen's attack with his sword.

"I have my own interests about this situation" answered the arrogant royal heir with golden eyes.

Sakuno was scared. She had no clue, why on Earth someone wanted to kidnap her and in the middle of the night to that! And why Ryoma was fighting with that man? Everything was so confusing.

With the last blow of his sword, Prince put an end to the battle. He turned his face to look at his dear Princess and noticed that she was standing very close to those awful bushes. His cat-like eyes widened in terror as he swirled his body to face the girl.

"Please, Princess, stay away from those bushes! Come here, everything is alright now".

But his words were not that convincing to her ears. The auburn-haired maiden looked at him unsurely and shook her head.

"I…I don't understand what's going on. Why are you calling me Princess? Tell me who you really are!"

Ryoma fell on his knees and sent her a pleading desperate gaze.

"I beg you, Princess, stay away from the precipice! I will not be able to live on if it happens to you again!"

"A precipice?" the girl turned her head to glance back only to realize that her hair got tangled in the dry thorny bushes.

Prince's face turned as white as a snow, when he saw that she started to untangle her trapped hair. Everything was repeating before his eyes again. It couldn't be true! He didn't want it to end up like it was the last time.

The next second he jumped on his feet and ran to the dearest girl to his heart and reached her just in time to grab her by the shoulders. A moment later they witnessed as a bunch of dry bushes fell from the cliff and hit a rocky surface of the bottom of the precipice.

Sakuno was paralyzed with shock and fear. She could have fallen there as well if Ryoma hadn't caught her just in time. And when that thought crossed her mind, the maiden felt as she was really falling. But there was no pain by hitting the ground as she found herself wrapped in the dark-haired young man's arms. He was hugging her so tightly that it was getting hard to breath. His wavering whisper burned the skin of her ear.

"Yokatta…you are alive… I have nearly lost you for the second time…what are you doing to me? Why are you so careless? If there are no you, then I have no meaning to live in this world too…"

His words made no sense to her but she could understand that he was really very worried and frightened judging by his intonation and the shivers that were running down his body.

His legs felt numb from shock that he experienced some minutes ago, and his body fell on a hard ground when it lost its support. Having the love of his life in his shaking arms was enough for Prince to feel relieved. She was alive and it was the most important fact at the moment. It was still awful to imagine what could have happened if he didn't catch her in time. But now everything was in the past. She was here, right in his arms, and he would never let her go from now on!

She wanted to hear his explanations. Everything seemed so confusing to her, that she just needed someone to tell her what was going on.

Prince felt as her body shifted from its current position and a second later her face appeared above his with an enquiring look in her gorgeous chocolate eyes. She was still wrapped in his secure embrace but her hands were on each side of his head to support her upper body, so that she could look right into his golden orbs and find the answers to her questions.

"Who…who are you?" her uncertain voice reached his ears, as he swallowed and licked his dry lips to answer.

"Don't you recognize me?"

"I…" she wanted to tell him that she knew him as Ryoma—a man she met on her way to the Kingdom, but the words never left her mouth. Sakuno suddenly felt an urge to look deep into his mirrors of soul. She sensed that they held the answer she wanted to know so badly.

He tensed when he felt her instant gaze, as if her eyes were searching something in his very soul. He wasn't complaining though. He knew that even if he told her who he really was to her, she wouldn't believe him. So, Ryoma decided to lie still and give her a better access to his heart, every emotion of which was reflecting in his eyes.

"I don't understand…" she whispered with trembling lips. "I know that you are Ryoma but…somehow I feel like I know you from somewhere else…but…where…" Princess closed her eyes with a frown on her face. She really wanted to remember where she could meet this young man before, but every time she tried to bring back her memories, a blurry image of someone's golden eyes appeared in her mind.

"Try again" a sudden warmth touched her left cheek and it caused her eyes to open. Ryoma was looking at her with so much tenderness and care while his palm was caressing her pink cheek. "Don't hesitate, Princess. Look deeper into my eyes…"

The auburn-haired maiden placed her instant gaze back on his mysterious mirrors of soul. She bent closer to his face unsurely as if it could help her to have a better look.

"Closer…"she heard him whisper as her face kept on approaching his. "Just a little bit closer…"

And when there was only few centimeters between their faces, Prince raised his head unexpectedly and laid a gentle kiss on her smooth pink lips. That contact sent electric shivers to run down her spine. The girl's eyes widened in disbelief as the realization of the whole situation reached her innocent mind. Sakuno pressed her lips together tightly and pushed the cheeky brunet away as hardly as she could. When her body was released form his firm embrace, Princess sat on her knees and tried to crawl away, but a sudden grip on her wrist stopped her intentions.

"Why did you do that for?" she cried, hiding her face from him in embarrassment. Her face was burning with millions shades of red as a recent remembrance was still dancing in her head.

"I was returning the dept, Princess" was his cocky reply that made her look at him with amazement written all over her face.

"A dept? What dept?"

Echizen placed his index finger on his lips and said, looking deep into her chocolate eyes.

"A kiss. I owe you a kiss from that time. Do you remember?"

She was silent. The look of her expression could tell that she was trying to remember something.

"B-but…" she whispered to herself "it was a dream…"

Sakuno gazed at the dark-haired young man when she felt him pulling her by the wrist carefully.

"Princess, I was there that night. I caught you in my arms the moment you fell from the balcony. You looked into my eyes and called me your beloved…do you remember?"

His face held a determined expression. He wanted to know her answer and she could not stand his instant gaze.

"But…it was just a dream…"

"But you kissed me in your dream, ne?"

"I…I…" it was so strange. If it was truth, it meant that it was him she was searching for. And he knew the very details of her dream…no, it was not a dream after all. It seemed that all her uncertainness disappeared with the touch of his lips. She didn't want to believe it, but the moment he kissed her, Sakuno sensed a mysterious bond with him…like she knew him for a long time…like it was always him she was missing all her life.

"Please…remember me, Princess…" his sad tone interrupted her train of thoughts. She turned her head to face him and noticed a miserable gaze of his sun-gold eyes.

He let go of her wrist gently and took her fragile hand in his, caressing it with his thumb.

"Why do I feel so warm when you hold me? Why did it feel so good when you kissed me? And why do I have a feeling like it's you I was waiting for so long?" a single tear showed on her eyelid, risking to fall and roll down her smooth cheek. "I…I don't understand. How can it be?"

A warm finger wiped away a tear from her eye and made her look at him again.

"17 years ago Lady Fairy told our parents that their children would find true happiness together, because they were two halves of a single whole" Ryoma spoke softly. "Now, 17 years have passed and two royal heirs met each other under the moonlight in a picturesque garden of Ryuuzaki Kingdom. After that fateful day, Prince fell in love with Princess. Her kiss melted his heart and the only thing he could think was…to see her again, to hold her and never let go".

Sakuno lowered her head timidly.

"And that means that those royal heirs were you and I?"

"We are soul mates, Princess Sakuno. We are destined to be together. Can't you feel it?"

The girl felt as her hand was placed on something well-toned and warm. Her eyes went upwards and met a confident look of his golden orbs. There was a thumping sensation under her fingers and it caused her to look down at her hand that was covered with his.

"This heart beats only for you. My life belongs to you, Princess. If there are no you, there is no me either".

This man attracted her so much. She felt like falling for him, his eyes, his voice, his warmth. He became an addiction to her. But where was the guarantee that he was indeed her…soul mate? And why didn't she know about all that story and Lady Fairy?

Sakuno shut her eyes and tensed her mind. She wanted to comprehend this entire situation, all his words, all her feelings! Her heart was screaming. Please, if anyone could explain everything to her!

And it happened. A sudden image of a young man with handsome face and mysterious golden eyes appeared in her mind. His face was glowing under the moonlight and she was reflected in his gorgeous eyes. It was the scene from her realistic dream! And Sakuno knew what would happen next. She would tell him that he was her beloved and destined soul mate, and then they would lose themselves in a gentle kiss.

Sakuno's eyes flew open in shock and her gaze fell on Ryoma's face. It was his face! The same face as the man from her dream had.

"I…you are…we…" she couldn't find the words to describe her happiness.

But he noticed the change in her mood. He took her other hand in his free one and kissed it tenderly.

"Ryoma… I… I have finally met you!" she cried in joy. "You are my destined soul mate… I've remembered you…how could I forget you?!"

A smile of relief spread on his young face. A warm feeling of indescribable happiness appeared in his chest. He drew the dear lady of his heart closer to him and trapped her in his secure embrace.

"Yokatta… I am so glad that we are finally together" he was whispering into her auburn hair, inhaling the sweet cherry aroma she was wearing. "I belong to you, you belong to me, and it's the way things are always meant to be".

She was listening to every word that escaped his mouth and still she was a little bewildered. It was like stepping into a new life when you didn't know what tomorrow would bring. But her heart was telling her the otherwise. Somehow, she felt like she belonged here, that her perfect place was right next to him.

For the first time in his life he felt whole. It was ridiculous, if to think properly. A girl could turn your life upside down. But Ryoma like no other could tell that it was true. After losing his other half, his life lost any meaning and now, when she was pressed to his chest and held by his arms, Prince felt like it was the most precious wish of his. Even the life before their first meeting was empty. But now, when he had finally realized what love really meant, he wanted to protect it and save from any troubles and sorrows.

"_Only for her sake_" Ryoma thought, wrapping his arms around her slim body even tighter. "_I wish this moment could last forever_"

And when that last though crossed his mind, both royal heirs heard the sound of approaching horses.

"_I absolutely forgot about them…how careless of me_" Prince scolded himself mentally.

Princess heard the sound too. She raised her head to look at her beloved's face with concern, but he gifted her with a soothing yet cheeky smile.

"Your knights will be here in a minute" he said as a matter of fact, standing up and helping her to gain a vertical position too.

But 8 guardians appeared even faster that one minute.

"Let go of Her Highness, you ill-bred offspring of the Echizen's!" commanded the knight whose name was Takeshi.

"Ehh? I thought that royal guardians have better manners than insulting Princes of the neighbor Kingdoms. You know that such a diplomatic mistake can become a cause of the beginning of a war?" Prince smirked, gifting the men with a wild and daring look of his cat-like eyes.

"Hold your sharp tongue, Echizen. We know that it was your entire plan to kidnap Princess Sakuno. So, if you want us to spare your life, better give Princess back immediately!" said the captain of the guardians with sharp hazel eyes, whose name was Tezuka.

"Oi, guys, look, King Atobe is beaten up and looks like a vegetable" cried the knight with spiky red hair joyfully, whose name was Eiji. He was poking his index finger at young King Atobe's gorgeous face at that moment. Tezuka knotted his eyebrows and tried to ignore the red-head's comment and behavior.

"I will not give you Princess Sakuno, so bear with it. I'm taking her to my Kingdom".

"How dare you, brat!" shouted a brunet knight, whose name was Kaoru. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, but Tezuka's firm grip on his wrist interrupted his intention.

Sakuno was watching the whole scene, standing behind Prince. She was scared of her guardians' pressing. They wanted her back, but if she went with them, she would never see Prince Ryoma again. That last thought made her heart tightened in her chest. She didn't want to leave his side!

Prince cocked his eyebrow in amusement.

"I wonder how such vulgar guardians could protect their Princess. You let her run away from the castle, what kind knights are you after that? She could have got hurt on her way here! You are so mada mada dane… You don't deserve to be her protectors!"

"Shut up! King Atobe and you planned it all along. You kidnapped her and refuse to let her go! We have no other choice but fight you! Angarde!" shouted a hot-tempered knight named Kaoru and rushed to strike a blow with his sword at Prince, but he stopped when he saw Princess Sakuno, who covered his enemy with her chest.

"I will not allow you to harm him, Kaidoh!" she cried desperately. Pearls of tears were shining in her eyes. "I will not allow any violence!"

"Your Highness, stay away from that dangerous man. He is the enemy of our Kingdom" said a handsome knight with azure-blue eyes, climbing down from his horse and making a step towards his Princess.

"Step back, Syuusuke" she told him firmly.

"But, Princess, we only want to bring you back to Queen Sumire. She is worried about you" spoke a timid knight, whose name was Shinichirou.

"I know, but I will not go with you".

"Why?!" all guardians gasped in disbelief.

"I will go with Ryoma!" she cried, shutting her eyes in embarrassment. A warm hand lay on her round shoulder, giving her strength to look at her guardians in the eyes.

"Only if he defeats us. We will never give Her Highness to someone like him!" said Tezuka sternly, burning a hole in Echizen's body with his gaze.

"I agree, but don't cry after I beat you up" was an arrogant remark from Prince's side.

And he was ready to do what he had said, but a sudden grip on his forearm stopped him from doing so. He looked to his right and saw Sakuno's pleading gaze.

"Don't fight" she whispered. He sighed deeply and then gave her a reassuring smile.

"Whose guardians are you?" Princess turned her head to face 8 young men in shining armors.

"We were born to protect you, Your Highness. We are your servants" they answered in union and bowed to her.

"Then if you confirm me as your master, listen to my order. I will go with Ryoma to his Kingdom and you will not follow us or try to do any harm to him or his Kingdom. Go back to our Kingdom and tell Grandmother that I have finally found my happiness. Tell her that I love her and I am very grateful to her for everything. I will send her a latter when we reach the castle. It's all for now".

Prince was looking at her with admiration. She was ready to leave her home, her relatives and everything she had behind, only to be with him. This fragile girl had such a strong willpower.

The knights stood still for a while before captain Tezuka said loudly.

"You heard Her Highness's command! Proceed!"

And with a bow to their Princess, 8 young men rode away, leaving the couple alone.

"I will never forget your sacrifice, dear Princess. You will never face any sorrow. I will make your happy" the royal heir said emotionally, standing on one knee and kissing his destined beloved's soft hand.

Her cheeks turned bright pink and she lowered her head timidly to hide her blush.

"I know you will" was her shy reply.

After that little special moment of theirs, Prince helped his Princess to climb his black horse, and they rode away to his Kingdom, wishing that their lives would never be separated again.

A/N end of the 5th chapter. *wipes away sweat* it was difficult, but I did it! Haha. So, I'm waiting for your reviews! Don't make me wait for too long. Your reviews help me to write faster ^.~


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Hello everyone. I'm really very sorry for delaying the update. I promised to upload the chapter more than a week ago, but I had no time to type it. Sorry, guys. I hope that you will enjoy the 6****th**** chappie, since it was really intriguing to write ^^'''**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the story. And special thanks to Macve for her encouragement and support! **

**Destined**

_**Chapter 6**_

And the life was great!

Prince and Princess couldn't get enough of each other's company. They were together wherever they went.

King Nanjirou couldn't believe his own eyes. His cocky son became so caring and gentle towards the girl. As a father he was glad that his child had found happiness in his life. Princess Sakuno was a wonderful maiden who turned a stone-hearted boy into a loving young man. But still, it was ridiculous that Ryoma discovered a sensual side in himself.

Two lovebirds were too interested in each other that they had forgotten about everyone and everything in the world. They held hands, laughed, told stories to each other, sang together and played different musical instruments creating a perfect duet.

Ryoma loved to lay his head on her lap and listen to her reading. It was a fairytale for him. And so, one day when he was enjoying his favourite activity, while she was caressing his thick dark hair, sitting under the brunches of a giant tree in the Royal garden and reading a book to him, King Nanjirou came into a view and interrupted that special moment of theirs.

"I have bad news, son" he said seriously.

Prince opened his golden eyes and turned his head to face the older man.

"What happened?" was the question.

Princess wanted to stand up and bow to the King, but with her beloved's head on her lap it was impossible to do. So she bowed her head to the ruler apologetically and received a kind smile in return.

"Queen Sumire declared a war"

"Grandmother?!" the girl's eyes widened in disbelief suddenly. She stopped stroking Prince's hair and covered her mouth with her palms.

The golden-eyed royal heir sat up from his current position and met his father's concerned gaze.

"I will not give her back. She will stay here with me even if means to fight Ryuuzaki Kingdom" after saying those words Ryoma took Sakuno's hand and squeezed it encouragingly.

Princess blushed hearing such bold words from her beloved, and averted her gaze away shyly.

"Will you stay by my side, Princess?" his tone got huskier as he lifted her face up by the chin so that he could look into her chocolate mirrors of soul.

"I…" it was hard to resist. His mesmerizing eyes had a great power over her will and the most thrilling thing about this was that she liked it. "I…after I have finally met you, of course I want to stay with you, Prince Ryoma…but…" with great effort she managed to leave her eyes from his face. "I can't let innocent people suffer because of my selfishness. I have to talk to grandmother and explain everything to her! I'm sure she will understand!"

King Nanjirou stood still and watched as two children tried to solve the problem. He couldn't but get impressed by Princess Sakuno. She was so unlike her grandmother: pure, caring, kind, sweet, gentle and brave enough to fall in love with his dense arrogant son. If she was really Ryoma's soul mate, than he had no reason to worry. She could definitely make Ryoma a wealthy and wise ruler. Wealthy not because of the fortune he had, but because of the love she would be giving him.

But now…after 3 days of pure bliss in their lives, they had to face a cruel condition: to give Princess Sakuno back or to face Queen Sumire's wrath.

"I don't believe Queen Sumire. If I let you go, where is the guarantee that she will accept our engagement?" Ryoma crossed his arms on his chest and looked at his soul mate instantly.

"But, dear, we won't know until we try. Think about your people. I'm sure they won't be glad if the war breaks out. There is nothing scarier than a war in this world" those last words were uttered in a bare whisper.

He couldn't see her hurt expression. He knew that her parents were killed during the war and he didn't want his beloved to go through that nightmare again.

Ryoma sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around her petite form carefully.

She shrugged from his sudden embrace, but soon her body started to melt in those secure and caring arms.

They forgot about the surroundings and about King Nanjirou himself. Well, he didn't complain though. It was not that often to see his son all sweet and loving like that. A satisfying smirk spread on the ruler's face as he turned on his hills and let the two discuss their problems in private.

"I don't want you to go…" Ryoma whispered in her ear while stroking her back softly.

"I don't want us to be separated. Not even for a brief moment" she answered, laying her forehead on his firm shoulder. "But it's the only way. I have to go".

He sighed deeply, burying his face in her wavy shoulder-length hair.

"I have a bad feeling about this".

And it was true. He didn't know why, but he felt terrible inside, like if he let her go, it would be the last time he would ever see her. And that feeling was unbearable. He went through so many troubles to see her and have her in his arms now. He didn't want to lose her. Not now, not ever!

"Princess, I…" Prince straightened himself and looked at her sad face. "_I refuse_…"

But he didn't say those last words, as he was taken aback by her pleading gaze.

"Ryoma…please…she is my grandmother. I want her to feel happy for us".

He struggled. He really did. But those sparkling chocolate eyes were merciless. He couldn't stand against that pleading gaze. All his objections stuck in his throat. Even with that miserable look she was beyond beautiful to his eyes.

Princess took his hands in hers and bent down to rub her cheek against them.

Ryoma's eyes softened and he traced her face with his long warm fingers.

"You are my heaven" he whispered never daring to leave his eyes from her lovely face.

Sakuno showed a tiny smile.

"I love you so much that I can't let this war break out. All I want is to save the peace between our Kingdoms".

"I…understand" he said sadly "But I don't want to be separated from you again".

"Again?" Sakuno was a little surprised by his tragic tone. What did he mean by saying those words?

And he was afraid…afraid that if he let her go, she could get into some trouble or…no, he didn't want to recall those terrible memories of her death. They were too painful. He had no strength to bear it again.

"When I'm with you, everything seems better…"

"I know" she smiled softly. "The same happens to me. I think this is what they call destiny".

Ryoma's lips curved into a brief smirk yet it looked like a chuckle. Some time ago he didn't believe in such fairytales. But after meeting her, his world turned upside down. She was the only one he wanted to breathe the same air with, to care about and to love for the rest of his life. Ridiculous, ne? He couldn't believe it himself that this fragile girl managed to change him without even knowing it herself.

And now she was going to leave him for who knows how long. Ryoma had a strange alarming feeling about this entire situation. But not giving her a chance to let her settle down the problem was against his morals. Queen Sumire was her relative, almost a mother. He couldn't stand between them and let them hate each other. He wanted happiness to his little Sakuno and if it meant to let her go from his side for some time, he would take that challenge bravely.

"It's obvious, sweetheart. We were meant to be together" after saying those words he lifted her fragile hands to his face and laid gentle kisses on them. "I will let you go to see your grandmother, Princess. But promise me one thing" his eyes glowed mysteriously as he looked deeply into her brown orbs.

"What would you like me to do for you, my Prince?" the royal girl asked a little bit nervously but she tried to hide it behind her shy smile.

Ryoma was silent for a moment. Only his golden eyes were reflecting a mixture of his inner emotions. It was uneasy to be under such direct and mesmerizing gaze of his. Sakuno swallowed. Her lips parted slightly. He had a great dominating power over her. She couldn't fight it or even resist. His firm gaze was her personal spider's web where there was no escape from.

"Promise me that when you're done with your message of peace, we will get married instantly the same day when we meet again" the seriousness of his tone sent shivers running down her back.

Sakuno gulped. He was so pushy yet his condition wasn't that scary. She wanted to become a single whole with him as soon as possible too. It was that…she didn't think that he would be so persistent about it.

"I…" the girl lowered her head to hide her hot cheeks. "I promise".

"Believe me, Princess, I never want to control you, I…" his voice become huskier and more emotional as he draw the dear girl closer to him and fanned her warm face with his hot breath "I only want to be by your side forever… and ever".

And then his lips landed on her sweet rosy mouth. That soft touch sent a swirl of crazy butterflies to dance in her stomach. Sakuno's eyes widened at first but then closed in a pure pleasure. He could make her forget how to breathe just by a single kiss of his.

And Ryoma was proud that that privilege belonged only to him only.

The moment they parted they realized that it was hard to breathe. He embraced his Princess and pressed his forehead against hers. After a deep inhaling, he uttered:

"I will give you a week. If she declines your message of peace, you have to come back to my Kingdom".

Sakuno nodded weakly, as her mind was still in the clouds.

"I will do my best" she whispered.

_**OooooO**_

And the next day Princess Sakuno set off for her Kingdom. She was given 50 soldiers to protect her from any harm. Prince kissed her a good-bye and wished her a good luck. Of course, he was upset with her leaving, but he promised himself that he will cope with his feelings and not show them to the others.

When she reached her Kingdom she was terrified by what she saw. The whole Kingdom had been preparing for a war. There were different military machines here and there, lots of soldiers and of course her loyal knights, who were declared to be generals in that war.

In a blink of an eye, Sakuno was locked in her room and the Echizens' soldiers were taken under arrest. Queen Sumire was told that her granddaughter had returned to the Kingdom and the old lady-ruler hurried to see her beloved little girl. When she opened the door to Sakuno's room, she saw her crying in her pillow.

"Dear child, thanks God, you are saved!" exclaimed the auburn-haired woman, taking a seat on the edge of the girl's bed.

"Grandmother, what are you planning to do? Why did you lock me here?" Princess cried, letting hot tears roll down her cheeks.

"It's for your own sake, dear" Queen answered strictly. "I won't forgive the Echizens for what they have done. That sly offspring of Nanjirou's had kidnapped you. He will get his punishment! Even if they fulfilled their part of the document and returned you to me, I will defeat them, so that they will never ever have even a thought to dare to lay their hands on you again!!!"

Sakuno's eyes widened in terror.

"Grandmother, are you going to go against them with a war?"

Queen's eyes filled with fury.

"They will see how to mess with me!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

Princess sprang to her grandmother's side and hugged her tightly.

"Please, please…don't do it! I love Prince Ryoma! He didn't do anything wrong. I ran away from our castle myself and he saved me from King Atobe who tried to kidnap me and marry me by force. Prince Ryoma stopped him; he was very kind and caring towards me. He never tried to force me to do anything. He behaved as a real gentleman. And I took his offer to stay at his castle as a guest. I wanted to know him better. And after spending some time in his company, I realized that I fell in love with him deeply. I love him with all my heart, Grandmother! And I came back here on my own will to tell you that and prevent the upcoming war!"

The girl cried diamonds of tears, wetting Queen's dress by doing so.

"I didn't want you to feel bad because of my selfish runaway. Forgive me, Granny, please, cancel the war!"

"No! They asked for it and they will get it!" exclaimed the ruler stubbornly.

"I love him, I want to marry him!" Sakuno uttered between sobs.

"It will never happen. You are not allowed to come out of this room until I punish them properly. The talk is over, Sakuno. Forget about that spoiled, ill-behaved irresponsible brat. He is not worth of you. We will find you a better husband, my dear".

With those words Queen stood up and was about to exit the room but Princess's voice interrupted her intentions.

"I thought that you wish me only happiness" said Sakuno emotionlessly with a blank face. Her eyes expressed nothing but emptiness.

Queen turned her head and glanced at her miserable granddaughter.

"Of course I want you to be happy, that's why I'm doing all this" and without any other word the Ryuuzaki woman went out of the room.

The girl was on the edge of despair. She threw herself on the bed and clenched a pillow. Loud sobs filled the room as the young royal heiress cried all her sorrows out.

_**OooooO**_

A week had passed and still there were no news from her. Ryoma started to get nervous. That bad feeling about princess's trip had returned to the young man's heart. 2 days later they were told that Ryuuzaki Kingdom declared a war.

When he heard it, his heart had almost stopped. His head became heavy and dizzy, and his body started to lose its support. Everything turned bright white and then black. The next moment someone cried:

"Somebody help! Prince Ryoma has fainted!"

King Nanjirou rushed to his son's side immediately and lifted the boy's almost lifeless body in his arms. When he reached Ryoma's room, the ruler laid his heir on a soft bed.

"Send for a doctor!" he ordered in a command tone, clapping his son's pale cheeks in order to bring his back to consciousness. "Hold on, Ryoma…"

_**OooooO**_

2 weeks had passed but Prince was still in comatose. Lots of famous doctors from the nearest lands tried to help and wake the young man up, but their efforts were pointless. King Nanjirou didn't know what to do. He was so worried about his son that the entire military situation went at the backgrounds. He knew that Queen Sumire could attack his Kingdom any moment, but he couldn't leave his only heir's side.

Ryoma looked awful. He turned from a healthy young man into a pale, exhausted person that could hardly be called a Prince.

The father's heart ached. Nanjirou couldn't stand seeing his dear child like that.

"Your Majesty" one of the doctors said politely "I'm sorry to tell you this but if there are no changes in His Highness's condition during the next week, Prince risks not to make it".

"Do something! You are professionals!" commanded the King desperately.

"Unfortunately, our knowledge is powerless against this phenomena" answered the doctors.

"Get lost, you useless creatures! Let my eyes never see you again!" shouted the ruler angrily.

When the men ran out of the room in fear, King Nanjirou turned to his heir and placed his palm on the boy's cool forehead. Queen Rinko was crying uncontrollably, holding her child's hand.

"What must I do to help you, Ryoma?" the man breathed out heavily. "You can't die and leave your parents all alone. I don't want to lose you, son. You are everything that we have".

But Prince was death to his parents' pleadings.

_**OooooO**_

There was a war between two great Kingdoms. But no one wanted to show braveness and become the first one to attack the enemy. And it was like that, because of one tragedy that visited the both Kingdoms. The heirs of the Kingdoms collapsed at the same day and didn't wake up. Nobody could help them to gain the consciousness back. Princess was dying slowly, so was the Prince. Two young people were losing their vital strength with every minute.

Queen Sumire was on the edge of going insane. She was there when her granddaughter fell on the floor unmoving. It happened after Qeen came into the girl's room and told her that she was going to attack the Echizens' Kingdom that same day. With a heart-rending cry Sakuno tensed and her eyes turned blank. The next moment the ruler witnessed as her beloved heiress whispered her so called soul-mate's name and fell on a hard floor absolutely numb and almost lifeless.

That scene shocked Queen Sumire so much that she forgot about the war and everything in the world. Lots of doctors examined the Princess but the conclusion wasn't calming at all.

The girl was melting like a piece of ice under the sun rays. She was dying slowly but surely.

**End of the 6****th**** chapter**

**A/N so, this is it! I hope you liked the chapter. The next one will be the last one ^~ Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!**


	7. Chapter 7 part 1

**A/N So, I know that it's been a while since my previous update. Sorry for making you wait for so long, guys. I'm very honored to introduce this chapter to you and I hope you will like it as much as I do ^o^**

**Read and Enjoy…and ofcourse…Review! **

**Destined**

_**Chapter 7  
part 1**_

It was a terrible feeling of emptiness and despair. She was out of his view and he didn't know where she was. A creepy feeling of fear attacked his heart as he realized that he was all alone in that dark and soundless corridor. Cold sweat covered the young man's forehead when he remembered that he had already been in a similar situation. He was wandering through a dark and long corridor and couldn't find the way out from that awful place, but then he would see a little source of light and her outstretched hand as if it was insuring him that everything would be alright.

But now he didn't see anything, just an unbearable darkness that was suffocating him and driving him insane slowly. He didn't know how long he had been here. It seemed that it had been ages now. He tried to find her but all his attempts failed. Oh, how he wished to see her again, to make sure that she was alright and far away from this horrible place. If only he could see her just one more time and say that he loved her purely and dearly, then it wouldn't be so scary dying like this. Most importantly was to make sure that she was safe.

No, he didn't want to die; he had so many things to be done in his life. But if he had to disappear from this world, he wanted to look at the beloved face again…just for a brief moment…for the last time….

"Princess, where are you?!" he cried as loud as his lungs could let him. "Please, give me a sign! I have to see you! I beg you, answer me!"

There was no echo as if everything he had just said was devoured by the darkness.

The young man fell on his knees helplessly.

"Sakuno… don't leave me here…"

_**OooooO**_

King Nanjirou sprang to his heir's side immediately when he heard someone's weak mumbling in the room. The ruler was so relieved to see that his son showed some signs of life for the first time during all that time. It had been almost 3 weeks since that tragic day when Prince Ryoma just lost his conscious and fell into a deep and unawakening slumber. The King didn't know what was in his power to help the Prince. He was absolutely helpless. His father's heart was tearing apart every time he looked at a pale and exhausted face that belonged to his only heir. Queen Rinko forgot about her sleep. She was there, sitting by her son's side and pressing his cool hand to her cheek.

And it finally happened. They heard him mumbling something in his sleep, like he was calling for someone. King Nanjirou bent closer to Ryoma's face and heard the boy's weak moaning.

"Princess,…don't leave me…just let me see you for the last time. I need you so much, Sakuno… where are you?"

Queen Rinko looked up at her husband with teary eyes.

"Anata, he calls for her."

The man nodded thoughtfully. After hearing those Ryoma's words, King Nanjirou got scared, so scared like he had never been before in his whole life. His son was asking Princess Sakuno to let him see her again…for the last time. The last words caused the ruler's chest tightened in fear. What did his son mean by saying that? Did he just say that he was going to die?

The ruler clenched his hair in a fist powerlessly and growled.

"What should I do, Rinko? Our child is on the edge of dying and we can't do anything to prevent this tragedy!"

The mahogany-haired woman laid her gaze on her son's sleeping face and placed her warm motherly hand on his forehead.

"The only thing we can do for him now is to do what he is asking for," she said softly.

The man's eyes widened in a total surprise.

"But how? That old hag will kill us if we show up in her Kingdom!"

"Nanjirou," Queen Rinko said firmly looking in her husband's eyes with determination "if something terrible happens to Ryoma, you will never forgive yourself for not granting his last wish. How can't you understand?! We are losing him. I refuse to think that he may pass away, but look at him now. Every breath my son takes brings him closer to the end." The royal woman began crying uncontrollably while saying those words. "At least I want him to get what he wishes for with all his heart and soul, even if it means to risk our lives while doing so."

The King sat on the edge of his heir's bed and took him by the hand. It was cool and unresponsive. The man sighed heavily and uttered:

"You are right, my dear Rinko. This is the only thing I can offer him in this situation. I hope it will help soothing his poor soul."

_**OooooO**_

And the royal girl of Ryuuzaki Kingdom had similar dreams. She couldn't find her beloved Prince and it made her lose any hope. She was crying, sitting in a cold corridor and surrounded by a total darkness. She was calling for him but never got a reply.

"Please, Ryoma Ouji-sama, save me from this loneliness! I can't bear it anymore. I need you so much! Where are you?"

But it was useless; there was nobody to come and take her out of that horrifying place.

Queen Sumire heard her granddaughter's incoherent mumblings. The girl was calling for that scion of Echizen's. No, she would never let her beloved granddaughter see that brat again. If not for his interference into their wonderful and happy lives, everything would have been alright by now. But no, he just had to show up and mess everything, not mentioning, made the poor girl fall in love with him.

"I, Sumire, will never let him come into your life again, Sakuno. It's his entire fault you are like this!" she hissed through gritted teeth. Then she took a tiny hand in hers and placed a soft kiss on the heiress's forehead. "I will protect you from everything, my dear child."

But Sakuno was still waiting for her Prince and kept on calling his name in her deep slumber.

_**OooooO**_

2 days later a royal carriage approached the Ryuuzaki Kingdom. There were no soldiers with it, only a few personal guards. When Queen Sumire recognized the newcomer, she cried in fury.

"If you are not bored of living, Nanjirou, I advise you to leave my lands, or else I will punish you for intruding!"

King Nanjirou stepped forward with a serious expression.

"I have no time for you, baba. I came with peace. My son needs to see your granddaughter."

The old woman smirked indifferently.

"Better tell your ill-behaved scion to stay away from Princess Sakuno. I'm warning you, Echizen, I will not consider that it's your son we're talking about. He brought so many troubles to my granddaughter and I will never forgive him for what he had done! I knew from the very beginning, that nothing will be alright if they meet. So, tell your son to forget about Sakuno and leave her alone!"

The ruler of the Echizen Kingdom sighed helplessly. He was sure that there wouldn't be any result talking to that stubborn old woman.

"My son is on the edge of dying, Ryuuzaki. He lost his conscious 3 weeks ago and never opened his eyes since then. But a couple of days ago he started talking in his sleep and he kept on asking to see your granddaughter. I'm not a kamikaze, baba, I know that you hate me for some stupid reason, and I would have never come to you on my own will, but I did it because this is the only thing I can do for my son now. I brought him here so that he could have a chance to feel the girl's presence and sooth his tired heart."

The elder ruler threw a suspicious glance at the man. Oh yes, she hated him and his irresponsibility! Many years ago his great-grandfather stole a good part of the lands that belonged to Ryuuzaki Kingdom by winning a card game against her grandfather. They put a dark stain on the Ryuuzakis' history and that's why Queen Sumire couldn't forgive the Echizens' dynasty. So she didn't care what happened to that sly brat, a so called heir of Nanjiro's. Though, she had to admit that those symptoms were very similar to those that Sakuno had.

The auburn-haired ruler shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked at an unexpected guest with arrogance.

"I'm not touched by your fairytales, Nanjirou. I'm sure you are planning to do something foolish again. I will never allow you or your son to come near Sakuno! If you don't leave my lands in 5 minutes, I will attack you!"

The King's eyes sparkled with willpower. He made several confident steps towards the Queen and said fearlessly:

"I will not move from this spot until you let Ryoma see Princess Sakuno. I'm not kidding, baba. I have nothing to lose. I've promised my child to take him to his beloved and I will grant his wish no matter what!"

"Then," hissed the Queen wrathfully, "I have nothing left but to execute you right here!"

"Try," answered King Nanjirou calmly, taking the sword in his left hand, ready to defend himself. "Yukimura, Sanada, Kirihara, you three protect Prince Ryoma!" he ordered to his elite personal guards.

"Till the last drop of our blood, Your Majesty!" they cried in union and covered the carriage with their chests, long swords already in their hands.

A wry insincere smirk crossed the old woman's lips as she raised her hand and proclaimed:

"Eliminate them!"

After hearing that last, a huge crowd of armored soldiers, led by 8 generals, rushed forward to attack the enemy. And when King Nanjirou was about to block the first blow of Syuusuke's sword, the place glowed with a bright golden light. It was so bright that everyone had to shut their eyes in order to save their eyesight.

A second later people heard a maiden's melodic voice.

"Stop immediately!"

The ruler of the Echizen Kingdom was the first one who opened his eyes and looked at the newcomer. It was the fairy, the one who told him that his son would find his happiness after meeting his destined soul mate.

"Lady Fairy!" he uttered and bowed to her, showing his deep respect.

"Queen Sumire, I'm very disappointed with your attitude towards your own granddaughter and her beloved," said the fairy in a lecturing tone. "I could never think that you would prefer your only heiress's death to her happiness."

"Lady Fairy, how can you say that!" cried the old ruler putting her hand on her heart. "I did it because I want Sakuno to be happy! I have never wished for the tragedy that happened to her because of Echzen's scion!"

The fairy's eyes flamed with disapproval.

"The place where she will be happy is by Prince Ryoma's side, Queen Sumire. I believe I told you this 17 years ago. They belong to each other. It's their fate. They would have never fall in love with each other if it wasn't like that. But you," the maiden's light eyebrows knotted, "you decided to break their connection with your irresponsible actions."

The Queen winced when she was compared with an irresponsible person. She had always thought of such about the Echizens, but now, when she was called the same word she had always called Nanjirou, she understood how painful it was.

"Your stubbornness caused these two young people to suffer from misery. They missed each other so much that it reflected on their health condition. Poor children are on the edge of dying, and it's all because you prohibited them to meet each other and declared a war between your Kingdoms!"

Kings Nanjirou's eyes widened in surprise.

"Does it mean that Princess Sakuno is dying too?"

The fairy nodded sadly.

"Yes, unfortunately, she is as bad as your heir, King Nanjirou."

"Please, dear Fairy, tell me, what I can do to save my Sakuno!?" the auburn-haired woman begged the young maiden with teary eyes.

"You have done enough already by starting this battle," and the fairy threw a glance at the present scene.

"But I did it only to protect Sakuno's happiness!" the ruler started to cry uncontrollably. "I've never wished it would turn out like this!"

"And when I came to you not as a King, but a s a parent with a request to help my son, you just ignored it and attacked us, though there are only 5 of us against your army," added Echizen. He was suffering too, but tried not to show it to the others. He was a man after all.

"I have already told you, baka Nanjirou, that I was doing it to protect my granddaughter from any harm!" growled the elder woman through her sobbing, sending the man an irritated gaze.

"Enough!" ordered the golden-haired maiden.

"Please, Lady Fairy, tell us, is there a chance to save our children?" the King turned and looked at her with hope, though there was a hurt expression in his dark eyes.

"I don't know," she answered vulnerably. "I can't tell for sure if they will make it or not. They haven't eaten for 3 weeks and their souls are still divided. Poor children are in such a weakened state right now."

"Just tell us, what we have to do to help them?" demanded Nanjirou.

"Alright. Do what I'm telling you and don't try to spoil everything again, Queen Sumire."

The older ruler nodded obediently.

"You have to lay both heirs on one bed and make them hold their hands. If we don't receive the result in three days, you should prepare for the worst. So, during these three days you have to prepare everything for the wedding ceremony and for the funeral. I hope you both understand the seriousness of the situation. If Prince Ryoma and Princess Sakuno wake up, you must make them walk down the aisle instantly. They are soul mates and are destined to be together. You have no rights to destroy their feelings to each other. But if they never open their eyes again after these three days, you have to bury them together at the same tomb."

"I will do everything you said, Lady Fairy," the King bowed with gratitude and looked at the mean Queen Sumire.

She sent him a faithless gaze and nodded.

"I'm ready to accept it if it brings my granddaughter back to life."

"Then, we can't lose a minute! Take Prince Ryoma to Princess Sakuno's bedroom immediately!"

And everyone rushed to fulfill that order.

_**OooooO**_

**A/N Yes, this is the end of the 1****st**** part of the 7****th**** chapter ^^ Yes, I'm a very smart and sly person ^o^ I divided the last chapter into two parts.  
I hope you liked this part. I will try to finish the fic asap. I'm planning to start writing the last episode today, so if everything will be alright, I will update the end of the story in few days. Believe in me, guys! And don't forget to push that green button below the text! **

With love,  
Kit2000


	8. Chapter 7 part 2

**Hello everyone! Finally, here is the last part of the fic and I'm really very glad that you were there for me when I was on the edge of giving up on writing it. Thanks to everyone, and especially to ****Macve****, who made me believe in myself. **

**Please, enjoy reading and don't forget to push the green button!**

**Destined**

_**Chapter 7**__**  
**__**Part 2**_

Thick long eyelashes shuddered a little, as the royal heiress started to stir in her sleep. She was having a weird dream where her beloved Prince was calling for her, but she couldn't find him no matter how hard she tried. The girl longed to see him again so much, that she didn't pay attention to the anguish feeling of loneliness. The darkness she was wandering through was scaring and Princess tried to hold back her tears of fear. She wished with all her heart that Prince would come and save her from this terrible place, but he never came and it made the poor girl's heart tighten in despair. But when she heard his distant weak voice that was calling her name as if it was the only thing he could utter, Princess took a grip of herself and decided to find her Prince no matter what. She kept on blaming herself for being so weak and helpless. She was thinking only about herself and her misery, not realizing that someone was in a condition a way worse than hers. How immature she was! By the tone of Prince's voice anyone could tell for sure that he needed her! And she was just sitting and crying about her terrible fate of being left alone in the dark emptiness!

"Please, Ryoma Ouji-sama, wait for me. I'm coming!" the beauty kept on repeating under her breath, running in a total darkness, searching for her other half.

Nobody knew how much time she spent looking for a certain golden-eyed young man, when her feet slipped suddenly, and Princess fell on a hard floor. The impact was painful and the girl's tired body couldn't move an inch. But she had to stand up and continue. She had to find her beloved Prince! She didn't want to be alone anymore!

Tears started to fall from her chocolate eyes as she understood how weak she was at the moment. Her body lay unmoving and the only thing she could do was crying in the air as hard as her lungs could let her:

"Prince Ryoma, I love you!!! Please, forgive me for being so helpless!!!"

And there she was, lying in pain from losing the only motivation to keep on living.

"Forgive me…" was all her dry lips could whisper. The royal girl closed her tearful eyes. Fatigue overwhelmed her and she was on the edge of falling into a deep and eternal sleep, when suddenly something warm touched her cheek. It brought a nice feeling of calmness and peace. The touch was just like a feather's one. It made her desire to open her eyes and look at whatever it could be. Right before the very moment her eyelids raised, she heard the dearest voice she longed to hear the most in the world.

"_Wake up, Sakuno. I need you_…"

"Prince Ryoma!" Princess exclaimed as her eyes flew open and she took a sharp inhale. It was hard to breathe because she couldn't comprehend where she was and what was going on. She knew that it was Prince's voice she had just heard and he said that he needed her. But where could she find him? Where was he?

Sakuno brought her right hand to her face and placed it on her forehead. Somehow, she could recognize the surroundings. It wasn't as dark as before. The girl turned her head a little and saw a large window. The moonlight was coming from the glass making the objects of the place more identifiable.

"It's my room," chocolate eyes widened a little from the realization.

The room was silent and the only source of light was glowing high in the night sky, slightly lighting the content of the place through the window, though it was still hard to see everything clearly.

Sakuno closed her eyes again and sighed heavily. Was it all just a bad dream? But even if it was, everything seemed so realistic…and it was so torturing to be apart from the one you loved, as if the world stopped to have any meaning.

She lay like that for some minutes, listening to her steady breathing, until that breathing started to sound suspiciously unsynchronic. At first she thought that it was just her imagination, but when she held her breath and heard the sound of someone's steady inhaling and exhaling, the girl got scared. There was someone there. She could hear his breath in the dark.

Princess wanted to jump from the bad and rush to call for some help, but she felt her left hand been pulled. Frustrated and scared, she turned to her left and squealed from unexpectedness. There was a man, lying next to her! It was his breathing she heard. Sakuno couldn't see his face clearly, as the moonlight didn't fall on it, but her heart was telling her that there was something special about this person. She looked down at her left hand and gasped. It was held tightly yet carefully by the man's. Something fell in her stomach, as a suspicion came to her mind. She knew this hand; how many times did it caress her cheeks with its tender fingers? How many times did she receive the warmth of its palm, when it buried itself in her auburn hair?

Chocolate orbs looked up at the dear face slowly. Oh, how she wished to see his face, but it was impossible in this darkness of the night. Princess sat next to the sleeping young man in her bad and laid her free hand on his cheek.

"Prince Ryoma…" was all she could whisper as her heart filled with so much love and care towards this sleeping handsome.

She continued stroking his cheek, feeling his face under her delicate fingers in the dark, but he wasn't responding. Usually, when he fell asleep at her lap while she was reading to him under the tree in his Royal Garden, she would stroke his cheek and it would wake him up almost immediately. But now…

"Prince Ryoma, wake up." She whispered in his ear. But he showed no reaction and it made her really worried. "Prince Ryoma, are you alright?" the girl shook him by the shoulder carefully. But the result was the same.

Sakuno was getting more and more concerned with every passing second. She couldn't wake him up and he didn't respond to her questions. Something was terribly wrong. Hot tears formed in the corners of her eyes, as she continued her attempts of bringing him back from his dream-land.

"Prince Ryoma, my beloved, please, wake up! You are scaring me!"

After receiving no answer, her head fell on his chest and she buried her face in his white silky shirt, sobbing uncontrollably and hugging him tightly.

"Come back to me, my love, I beg you, open your eyes!"

And then she realized that there was only one way left to awaken him. Sakuno lifted her head from his firm chest and bent over his face. Her eyes burnt with determination, as she prayed with all her heart.

"Kami-sama, please, let us be together again!" and after thinking that last, she covered the royal heir's lips with hers.

_**OooooO**_

Wandering through a total darkness was a way more pleasant feeling than drowning in the dark bottomless sea, where there was no escape from. Ryoma was losing his last strengths. He couldn't struggle against the dark waves anymore. The only thing that still helped him not to sink was a thought of his dear soul-mate. He still didn't find her and it made him go insane. If only he knew her whereabouts. The main thing was to protect her from this terrible place. But now it was too late. How could he protect her when he was the one who needed help?

His strong wish to see her began fading with the last oxygen his lungs had. He understood that it was his end, and losing his conscious, he outstretched his hand as if grabbing an invisible image of his Princess. He didn't want to die, but he had no strength left to fight. Please, let her be happy… it was all he wanted. And he would always have her in his heart because she was the only one for him, and even now he…

"I need you, Sakuno…"

And his golden eyes closed, as he believed, forever, but something happened. He felt as if he was lifted from the bottom of the sea by some magic powers and laid on a soft sandy shore. His mind was clouded from the lack of oxygen and he had no strength to open his eyes or even inhale.

And then he felt something on his lips that he should had not at that moment. But that saving touch brought him back to life, as his lungs filled with the most wanted vital substance. Ryoma breathed in as deeply as he could and exhaled slowly. His mind cleared and he tried to open his eyes only to close them again.

It must had been a dream. He thought that he had just caught a glimpse of a beloved face in the dark. And then Prince realized that his lips were still occupied with someone's saving touch.

You had to be really dense not to recognize this contact that he had experienced so many times before. It was the touch of the sweetest lips in the world, no wonder that it saved him from death, because it was her lips.

Those gentle shy lips of his Sakuno's. His heart was ready to explode from happiness and relief. She was safe, she was here and she was kissing him. And the only thing he wanted to do now was to kiss her back, to show his gratitude to her for bringing him back to life.

And he kissed her slowly and tenderly, treasuring every second of the contact. He unconsciously wrapped his left arm around her delicate shoulders, tasting her sweet lips in the dark and holding her close to him. Their other hands were still united.

After a moment, Princess Sakuno opened her eyes and broke the kiss carefully.

"Are you really awake?" she asked hoping for a positive answer. It was hard to see if his eyes were opened or not. The darkness of the night hid it from her.

And then she heard his velvet voice.

"So, it's not a dream, it's really you, Princess. I was so afraid that I will never see you again."

"Oh, Ryoma Ouji-sama! You're back!" cried the girl and hugged him closely, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I was so scared! I thought that you will never wake up!"

He returned the hug. Oh, how he missed her warmth and sweet scent, her melodic voice and just her presence.

"Sweetheart, I don't know what happened to me, but somehow, I felt like dying. I realized one simple thing, that I'm in so much pain when you're away, Princess."

"But how did you end up in my room?" she asked, not lifting her head from his shoulder.

"Huh?" Prince's eyes widened in surprise. "Is it not my Kingdom?"

"No, it's definitely my room."

"But…the last thing I remember is being in the crown room of my Kingdom…and then we were told that Queen Sumire was going to attack us…and…" he frowned, trying to remember what happened next, but it was useless. "I don't remember anything after that episode…"

Sakuno sat up abruptly, so did he. The moonlight threw its dim light on their faces.

"The last thing I remember is Granny telling me about attacking your Kingdom…but then…everything's blank…" she said thoughtfully, trying to catch a good glimpse of his face.

"What happened to us? Why do we remember the same part and nothing after that? And how did I end up in your room when I know that I was in my Kingdom?"

They sat in silence, trying to figure out what was going on, but of course they had no answer to that question.

"You know, Prince Ryoma," the chocolate-eyed maiden spoke, "right before waking up, I had a terrible dream that I got lost and couldn't find you no matter how hard I tried. I was so scared that I would never see you again, that it was almost killing me."

"Hmm…it seems that we share not only the same memories, but the same dreams as well," he tried to laugh lightly, but it sounded like a bitter chuckle. "I don't know the reason of what happened to us, but the only thing I know for sure is that I don't want to experience that nightmare again. Never in my life. Being apart from you is the cruelest punishment in the world, dear Princess."

The girl lowered her head to hide the blush on her cheeks; he couldn't see it anyway because of the darkness in the room though.

"I'm very glad that we're together again, Ryoma, because I love you so much."

He smiled. It was all he needed; she was there next to him, telling him that she loved him. What a man could desire more?

The golden-eyed Prince embraced his beloved and fell backwards on the bed, making her being pressed to his chest.

"I love you too, Sakuno," and he left a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I don't regret about anything. The reason I live is because of you."

She was very flattered by his words. There were many mysterious about him that she couldn't understand, but now it wasn't that important. They were together and she prayed for never be separated again.

Two love birds talked sweetly, holding each other in their arms, till the very dawn. They enjoyed each other's company so much that they didn't even notice the first rays of the sun. The realization came to them only when Princess said shyly:

"Are you hungry?"

Prince smiled with the corner of his lips.

"I think I can eat an elephant. Can't understand why I feel so exhausted though."

She giggled lightly.

"Me too. Let's go and tell the servants to make a breakfast for us. And if my Grandmother tries to harm you, I will protect you!"

The Echizens' heir rolled his eyes. It would be a very interesting scene: a prince is protected by a harmless princess. But he didn't complain. After all she _did_ save him from that nightmare.

They got up and walked out of her room holding hands.

The moment they opened the door, they were met by hundreds of gloomy faces, and Queen Sumire and King Nanjirou's were among them. Everyone stared at the couple with rounded eyes and after a moment of a silent stupor, the King cried in joy, taking the older ruler into a bear hug.

"They made it, baba! After 3 days of a torturing waiting, they are alive!"

"Let go of me, baka Nanjirou! I can see it myself!"

"Ehh..what's going on?" asked the dark-haired Prince, looking at both rulers as if they had completely lost their minds. No, really, how often could you see your father hugging his enemy?

"Children, you're getting married today!" cried the cheerful King, dragging his son away from his soul-mate, "so you have to prepare for the ceremony."

"Ano…" uttered the auburn-haired heiress, "Grandmother, could you explain, what's going on? Why were you waiting for us by the door? And what does King Nanjirou mean?"

"Sakuno," the Queen came to her granddaughter and hugged her motherly, "will you ever forgive me for my egoism? I have nearly lost you, my child. I was so blinded with wrath towards the Echizens that I have totally forgotten about your happiness. Please, Sakuno, forgive me for making you so miserable, for forbidding you to love that scion of baka Nanjirou's. We had no guarantee that you two will make it after everything I had done in the past. But thanks to Lady Fairy, everything is alright now."

"Grandmother, please, don't cry," the girl hugged her relative tightly. "I'm so happy that you give me your blessing for the marriage."

"Hey, baba, why don't you tell them that because of you they were on the edge of dying?" cried King Nanjirou from the other side of the corridor, where he was explaining his son everything about the man's responsibility at the first wedding night. Well, the result of the conversation could be seen on the ruler's head, decorated with several bumps by the royal heir.

"Shut up, you moron! Better prepare everything for the ceremony! We can't waste a minute!" was the loud answer from the other side of the corridor.

And everyone proceeded to their work. Well, the groom and the bride were happy that they were getting married so fast, after all it was Prince Ryoma's wish to get married to his soul-mate instantly, when he saw his Princess off to deliver her message of peace. But there was the only problem that darkened the whole celebration for the two.

"Could someone, please, give us something to eat?"

_**OooooO**_

And now after saying those promises in front of the altar, they were declared a husband and a wife. Hundreds of applause filled the church as King Ryoma took the white veil away from his beloved's face and looked into her big chocolate eyes that were shining with happiness. A sincere smile touched his handsome face, as he bent closer to his Queen and laid a sensuous kiss on her cherry lips.

"Be my lifeline for this lifetime, my Sakuno…" he whispered quietly so that only she could hear those meaningful words.

Their love was something every person could wish for. King Ryoma became the ruler of the United Kingdom of two powerful Kingdoms—the Echzens' and the Ryuuzakis'. He left many good deeds in the history and showed himself as a wise, honest and brave monarch with a strong sense of justice. But he knew that he would have never become the man he was, if he hadn't had his soul-mate by his side. Her love and care were the most important and the most hidden reasons that brought their Kingdom to its glorious times.

And we can't not to mention, that a wise King Ryoma decided to overcome that conflict that happened between young King Atobe and him. Princess Tomoka became the peacemaker who brought the peace between two Kingdoms. After all, it was her dream to marry a very handsome and ineligent King Atobe that she secretly adored so much.

Queen Sakuno gave the birth to two wonderful children—a very talented and brave boy and a gorgeous and kind-hearted girl. Their father was happy to have such a family. It was the source his strength and pride.

And so, we told you a story of two royal heirs that were destined to be together, but aside of that, they managed to make their love the finest art in the world.

_A fairytale is a lie, but there is always a hint of truth in every fairytale and it holds a good lesson for people (c) (A Russian proverb)__. _

**Owari**

**A/N thanks for reading. It was a pleasure to write this story.**

**11.02.2010.**


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